Trust Me
by CenaAmbroseGirl92
Summary: She wanted to help, but wasn't sure if he would let her. (Was meant to be a one-shot, but may have a couple more chapters)
1. Chapter 1

2/10/17

Being part of MACUSA had its ups and downs, but what job didn't? Being an Auror had been a dream of yours since you were little, much to your parents' dismay. You lived a very sheltered life when you lived with them, so when you graduated from Ilvermory, you got out of dodge and got your own place by MACUSA headquarters.

Following the tragic events of the encounter not only with an Obscurial, but also Gillert Grindelwald himself you were haunted by the pained look on the boy who you learned was named Credence Barebone's face before he died. And yet something in your gut told you that he was still alive though you didn't know how. Your suspicions turned out to be right as you one day saw a figure in all black huddled in an alleyway on your way home from work.

You looked around before heading towards the alleyway. You slowly approached where he sat and whispered, "Credence?" He jumped and turned to you with his head down. "My name's Annie Thomas. I was at the Subway station with Tina." At the mention of Tina Goldstein's name Credence's head snapped up and you saw the tear stains on his cheeks and the bags under his eyes which broke your heart. You slowly got closer to him making him scoot back a little. You sighed, bent down, and whispered, "You know, I was the only one in that group that actually listened to Tina. I put my wand away when she said that you needed to calm down. I tried to stop the others, but they wouldn't listen. Please, let me help you. I'm sure I'm one of the last people you'd trust, but I promise not to hurt you. We can go to my place so you can get cleaned up and get some sleep. Okay, Credence?"

You offered your hand and with great hesitation he got up and walked up to you as you too stood up and gently took his hand leading him to your apartment without incident. You showed him where the bathroom was and told him you'd make them something to eat. As you heard the shower run, you started cooking some chicken and rolls while also setting up the couch for either one of you to use that night.

You had just set the table when he came out looking a tad bit better then when you found him. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen/dining room staring at the table. You walked over and took your seat and said, "Come on and join me. You'll feel even better once you've eaten a real meal."

Credence didn't look at you, but sat in the chair next to yours as you served the both of you, telling him to eat as much as he needed to. You noticed he ate rather slowly and had trouble cutting the chicken, so taking out your wand you made his knife and fork cut it for him as he sat and watched in utter amazement. Once the chicken was cut into pieces, it was much easier for him to eat.

He ate a few rolls and one more piece of chicken you had cut for him and he looked content much to your delight. You made it so that the dishes washed and put themselves away as you put the leftovers in the fridge. Credence remained at the table watching you and the dishes which made you smile to yourself. When that was done, you saw that Credence was frowning and looking down at the table.

You walked back over, sat in your seat, and asked what was wrong. Credence didn't answer at first, but then muttered, "I don't deserve this kindness after what I'd done. I deserve to be punished."

You closed your eyes for a second before looking at him again, taking his hand gently and saying, "No you don't. What happened was out of your control. What you need is someone to help you manage your powers so that they don't turn on you. If it hadn't been for that awful woman you would've been just fine. But now there's nothing and no one holding you back. If you'll let me I promise to help you. I could maybe get Tina to help if you'd like. We can also work on the trust issues which I'm sure will take time. I'm doing this because I care, because I know that under the pain and turmoil is a smart, kind, and strong young man who just needs guidance."

Credence lifted his head and squeezed your hand back slightly which made you grin. He took a shaky breath and whispered, "Thank you, Miss Thomas."

You lightly rubbed his knuckles with your thumb and replied, "Of course. And please call me Annie." You went into the living room showing him where he was to sleep. You told him to get comfortable and to come to your room if he needed you. He nodded and when you hugged him he tensed up for a couple seconds before slowly hugging you back and resting his head on your shoulder. You knew he needed the closeness that he had likely been deprived of for years so you just stayed that way for maybe a couple minutes before pulling away. "Good night, Credence. See you in the morning." you said with a warm smile.

"G-Good night, Miss-I mean Annie." he stuttered slightly.

You walked into your room and shut the door so you could change clothes. When you finished you re-opened the door and peeked into the living room to see Credence sleeping. You smiled and went back to your room to read for a while before turning in for the night.

A few hours later, you were woken up by a sense that someone was watching you. You rubbed your eyes, sat up slowly, and saw Credence standing in your doorway looking scared. "Credence, what's wrong?" you asked in a groggy voice.

"I-I saw her. Ma with the belt then her d-dead b-body. Black mist in the air." he choked out.

You took a breath and reached out your hand and whispered, "Come here, Credence. It's okay. Let me help you relax." You moved the covers on the side next to you. Sluggishly, Credence walked to the bed and got in shivering. You put an arm around him and he clutched onto you, burying his face into your chest breathing heavily.

"Shhh, it's alright. She can't hurt you anymore. She's gone and you have no reason to worry. No one's going to hurt you anymore, not if I can help it. Just look where you are now. You've trusted me enough to come to my home and let me take care of you. You deserve so much better than what you were dealt. There, just breathe slowly and listen to my heartbeat. You're safe." Stroking his hair, you felt his grip on you loosen greatly. Seeing that he was asleep, you kissed the top of his head and fell back asleep yourself.


	2. Chapter 2

2/12/17

You woke up a few hours later with Credence still in your arms looking very peaceful. You didn't want to leave him, but you knew you also had to go to work so you slowly untangled yourself from his embrace, got up, and did your morning rutine. You wrote him a note and checked on him before leaving hoping that he would be okay on his own.

You went about work and used your lunch break to go to a small clothing store to get some things for Credence so he could toss the clothes that you were sure also held bad memories, especially that belt that had been used against him regularly. Once you got off work, you went searching for Tina. When you found her about to leave the building you ran over to her telling her to wait up. Once you'd caught up with her, you said, "Tina, you are not going to believe who I ran into yesterday."

Once you'd finished your story, Tina just stared at you with her mouth open. Luckily you had gone to a secluded area so that no one could hear you. Sensing that she didn't believe you, you took her arm and apparated to the outside your apartment. Just then, you heard glass breaking from inside so you and Tina took out your wands and slowly walked in. You looked around and saw your favorite dragon figurine shattered on the floor in front of the book shelf you kept it on. You looked around and called for Credence as Tina stood by the door with her wand at the ready.

You heard shuffling from your room and saw Credence with a scared look on his face. "Are you okay? What happened?" you asked putting your wand in your coat pocket.

Shaking, Credence whimpered and croaked, "I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I was reaching for a book and knocked it off the shelf. I'm sorry."

He started taking his belt off and you knew what he was thinking. Once he got it off you took it from him and threw it to the side before taking his shoulders and saying firmly, "I'm not your mother, okay? I'm not going to punish you for something that can easily be fixed. You don't have to think that way anymore, alright? I'm not going to punish you for something that can easily be fixed. You don't have to think that way anymore, okay? I know it will take time to get out of that mind set, but I'm going to help you like I said yesterday and last night. You're safe now."

You hugged him tightly and gently rubbed his back until you felt him calm down. When you pulled away, you tilted his head up and said, "Now, I want you to do something for me. I know these clothes hold bad memories, especially that belt. So tonight, we're going to toss everything out. I bought you some new clothes today so you can start fresh. This will be a new beginning for you. Now, come here I want to show you something."

You took his hand and lead him to where the broken dragon was. You took out you wand and did the Repairo Charm and all the pieces put themselves back together again. You picked it up smiling and said as you showed it to him, "There, good as new. I should probably put it in a different place though, huh?" You walked over to the coffee table in front of the couch and gently placed the figurine down. "That should be good." you said simply looking at Credence with a smile which he slightly returned.

Remembering that you had company, you rushed back to the front door where surprisingly Tina still stood with a shocked look on her face. You walked up to her and snapped your fingers With a slight flinch, Tina looked from you to Credence who was standing at a slight distance behind you.

"Do you believe me now?" you asked with a chuckle.

Slowly, she nodded then whispered, "How is this possible?"

"I think MACUSA destroyed the Obsurus, but somehow Credence himself survived. Takes a lot of power I'd say. I don't want to think about what could happen if anyone else had found him."

"So, are you just going to keep him here?"

You sighed and said, "Until his powers are under control, yes. Please help me, Tina. I'm doing this with or without you, but without might be harder. You're the only other person who's shown him kindness. Besides, I'm sure Newt would jump at the opportunity."

Mentioning Newt not only got Tina's attention, but also a slight blush which made you smirk. Tina looked at Credence who had a slightly scared look on his face. Closing her eyes, Tina sighed and whispered, "Okay, I'm in. But I'm not moving in with you."

You burst out laughing and said, "Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

2/16/17

It had been a couple weeks since Tina agreed to help you with Credence and it had been going smoothly. Turned out he had done a lot of reading while you were at work the day he broke your dragon figurine which impressed both you and Tina. You'd convinced Tina to give Credence one of the wands that hadn't been claimed from MACUSA and while it was really shaky at first, simple spells became no trouble for him.

You still offered to share your bed to keep the nightmares away and it seemed to work 'cause every morning he looked well rested. Not only had you earned his trust, but he also seemed to be developing feelings for you. Of course, you weren't complaining 'cause it was happening to you as well. Neither of you were willing to say anything for fear of rejection, but it was only a matter of time before one of you cracked.

That time came during the Spring while you and Credence were practicing the Patronus Charm. Despite this being advanced magic you had a feeling that he was ready. You told him that the Patronus required a very happy memory and much to your surprise he had no trouble coming up with one though he didn't tell you what it was at first. When he said the incantation, a silver, average-sized crow came out of his wand and flew around the room.

Credence watched it fly in amazement as you clapped and exclaimed, "That's fantastic, Credence! This is really advanced magic and you got it on your first try!"

Credence looked at you and said as the crow disappeared, "I-I was thinking about m-my first night here."

You raised your eyebrows and said, "Say what?"

"Wh-When you let me stay in your bed with you and listened to you talk. Y-You holding me was the first time that I actually felt safe. Like I actually belonged somewhere and I didn't have to be scared. You're like my guardian angel and I keep wondering why you're doing all this for me. Why couldn't I have met you sooner? Is this all a dream that's going to end soon? I don't want it to ever end."

Seeing that he was getting emotional, you pulled Credence into a tight hug. He hugged you back instantly and buried his face into your hair and he tried to steady his breathing. After awhile, you pulled back, took his face in your hands, and kissed him on the lips. Surprisingly, you felt him kiss you back after a bit and tighten his grip on your waist slightly. As the kiss continued, you ran your fingers through his hair and wrapped your arms around his neck until you finally had to pull away for air. Once you caught your breath you whispered, "Tell me, was that a dream?"

"If it was I don't ever want to wake up. I-I think I love you, Annie." he stuttered as he turned beet red.

You gasped, but couldn't help but smile. You rested your forehead against his and said just above a whisper, "I think I love you as well, Credence and I can assure you that there's no waking up from this, not if I can help it." You chuckled and gave him a peck on the lips as he just held you with a huge grin on his face.


	4. Epilogue

2/18/17

Three years after you took Credence in and helped him get his life on track, he asked you to marry him. You said yes on the condition that he take your last name so that he didn't have any ties to his mother. He nodded and you jumped into his arms and hugged him and traded "I love yous" before sealing the deal with a kiss.

A year after you first got together, Newt Scamander had returned to give Tina the first copy of his newly published book _Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them_ and when she brought him to your place to see Credence he had the same reaction that Tina had times two _._ A year after that he had taken Tina to England and later asked her to marry him. Tina asked you and Credence to be part of the wedding which you accepted. As a way of returning the favor, Newt and her offered to be part of yours and Credence's wedding a couple years later.

A few years after getting married, you and Credence had a son you named Adrian who had your eyes and face and Credence's hair. Adrian ended up being a wizard and you made sure to help him keep his powers under control until he went to Ilvermory and let the professionals take over.

Adrian became a fine wizard who to your surprise became interested in magical creatures, something you immediately shared with Newt and Tina since they were his godparents. Newt took Adrian under his wing and mentored him even after retirement.

You and Credence lived out your days in New York with occasional trips to England. When your own retirement came, you wrote many fantasy books for both magical and non-magical kids which became very successful not just America, but all over the world. Life was a bliss.


End file.
